Thomas Lloyd Yount, Kingsport US

Thomas Lloyd Yount, Kingsport, TN US

Patent application number

Description

Published

20080319158

BAFFLE ASSEMBLY MODULE FOR VERTICAL STAGED POLYMERIZATION REACTORS - The present invention provides an assembly for use in vertical, gravity flow driven polymerization reactors for combinations of high viscosity, high throughput, and shallow polymer depths. The baffle assembly module of the invention includes a support structure having a plurality of side openings. The side openings allow the escape of vapor liberated from the polymeric melt. The assembly further includes a feed splitter followed by two or more vertically arranged rows of baffle plates with the feed splitter and baffles sequentially positioned in the support structure. The plurality of parallel baffles in a row are angled such that when a polymeric melt contacts a given baffle the polymeric melt moves in a downward direction under the force of gravity. The arrangement of the rows is such that each row (except the lowest row) transfers the polymeric melt to a lower vertically adjacent row until reaching the last row of baffles in the module. According to the vertical arrangement of the components in the baffle assembly module and by stacking additional baffle assembly modules if needed within the reactor, the polymeric melt cascades down the vertical length of the reaction vessel interior. The present invention also provides a polymerization reactor that incorporates the assembly of the invention and a method of increasing the degree of polymerization of a polymer melt by using the assembly of the invention.

12-25-2008

20090016939

MULTI-LEVEL TUBULAR REACTOR WITH VERTICALLY SPACED SEGMENTS - A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a plurality of horizontally elongated and vertically spaced reactor segments coupled to and extending outwardly from a common header. One or more of the reactor segments can contain a tray that divides the internal volume of the reactor segment into upper and lower chambers. The reaction medium can flow away from the header in the upper chambers and back to the header in the lower chambers.

01-15-2009

20090018280

HORIZONTAL TRAYED REACTOR - A horizontal trayed reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The reactor can include a plurality of vertically spaced trays disposed within the horizontally elongated vessel shell. The reaction medium can flow in generally opposite directions on vertically adjacent trays so that the reaction medium flows generally back-and-forth through the reactor.

01-15-2009

20090018281

MULTI-LEVEL TUBULAR REACTOR WITH INTERNAL TRAY - A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a horizontally elongated reactor segment containing a tray that divides the internal volume of the reactor segment into upper and lower chambers. The reaction medium can flow through the upper and lower in generally opposite directions.

01-15-2009

20090018282

MULTI-LEVEL TUBULAR REACTOR WITH OPPOSITELY EXTENDING SEGMENTS - A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a plurality of horizontally elongated and vertically spaced reactor segments coupled to and extending outwardly from a common header. One or more of the reactor segments can contain a tray that divides the internal volume of the reactor segment into upper and lower chambers. The reaction medium can flow away from the header in the upper chambers and back to the header in the lower chambers.

01-15-2009

20090018283

MULTI-LEVEL TUBULAR REACTOR WITH DUAL HEADERS - A multi-level tubular reactor operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The tubular reactor can include a plurality of horizontally elongated and vertically spaced tubular members coupled to and extending between a pair of horizontally spaced and vertically elongated headers.

01-15-2009

20090018284

REACTOR SYSTEM WITH OPTIMIZED HEATING AND PHASE SEPARATION - A reactor system operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The reactor system includes a heat exchanger for heating the reaction medium and a disengagement vessel for disengaging vapor from the heated reaction medium.

01-15-2009

20100121001

Reactor With Optimized Internal Tray Design - A system for processing large quantities of a reaction medium while maintaining the reaction medium in sheets. The system includes a reactor having a plurality of vertically-spaced downwardly-sloped trays over which the reaction medium flows while it is subjected to reaction conditions. The slope of the trays increases downwardly to accommodate for the increased viscosity of the reaction medium while the reaction medium flows downwardly through the reactor. An upper portion of the trays have a uni-directional configuration, while a lower portion of the trays have a bi-directional configuration. Further, the orientation of flow across the uni-directional trays is rotated by 90 degrees in at least one location as the reaction medium flows down the uni-directional trays.

05-13-2010

20110077353

REACTOR SYSTEM WITH OPTIMIZED HEATING AND PHASE SEPARATION - A reactor system operable to facilitate a chemical reaction in a reaction medium flowing therethrough. The reactor system includes a heat exchanger for heating the reaction medium and a disengagement vessel for disengaging vapor from the heated reaction medium.